Nine swine flu deaths were reported Friday, taking the toll to 1,046, Indian health authorities said here.

Also, 88 new cases were recorded, taking the total number of people affected with the contagious virus to 27,610.

While four deaths were recorded in Karnataka, where the number of casualties have touched 137, two deaths each were reported from Gujarat and Rajasthan. In Gujarat, the toll has jumped to 144, while in Rajasthan it is 158.

One death was also reported from Himachal Pradesh where eight people have succumbed to the deadly virus so far.

India reported its first swine flu death Aug 3 from Maharashtra's Pune town. The state has so far reported 284 deaths - the highest in the country.

In the national capital, 23 new cases were reported, taking the total in the city to 9,533.

'There were 23 new cases of Influenza A(H1N1) yesterday (Friday), of which three were children. This makes the total number of swine flu cases in Delhi touch 9,533,' Anjana Prakash, assistant nodal officer for swine flu cases in the capital, told IANS.

While there were no new deaths recorded Friday, there have been 83 deaths because of swine flu in the capital so far.

'Till date, samples from 116,498 people have been tested for Influenza A (H1N1) in government laboratories and a few private laboratories across the country and 27,610 of them have been found positive,' said an official statement issued here.

New cases were also reported from Maharashtra (20), Gujarat (23), Haryana (4), Uttar Pradesh (8) Rajasthan (5) and Assam (1).